Ear spinning tool



MW 2 1933 v W EA BURNS EAR SPINNING TOOL Filed Feb. l5, 1931 ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1933 UNETED STATES WILERED E. BURNS, OF BURLINGAME, CALIFORNA EAR SPINNNG TOOL Application filed. February 13, 1931. Serial No. 515,559.

This invention relates to improvements in ear-spinning tools, and it has reference inl particular to tools xof a character designed for flanging the ears by means of which wire bails are attached to pails, buckets or other containers; the bails in such instances being provided with loops at their ends adapted to be fitted over the ears after the latter have been permanently secured to the pail or conm' tainer Wall.

The principal obj ect of this invention is to provide a spinning tool for the above purpose which may be easily handled, which will operate quickly and will evenly form an out- Wardly rounded bail-retaining flange about the ear.

More specifically, the invention resides in the provision of a spinning tool embodying` a revolubly driven body equipped with a 2G' centering member adapted to enter the ear to retain the tool properly with respect to the ear during the spinning operation, and which is also equipped with balls adapted to i. engage in rolling contact with the inner pe- Zb' riphery of the ear as the head revolves, in such manner as to cause the ear to be pressed outwardly in an even and smoothly rounded flange.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction and in the combination of parts as will hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these and other objects F of the invention, l have provided the im- 39' proved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an earspinning tool embodying the present inven 4U tion, it being shown in position ready for application to a can ear about which a bail loop has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the tool as applied to the ear for flanging; 4 Fig. 3 is a front end view of the spinning tool;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a can ear as attached to the pail and before being flanged,

r, also showing the looped end of a bail ready "o for application to the car; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the bail loop as applied to the ear and the ear flanged to retain it.

Referring more in detail to theV drawing- The present tool is designed as a means for fianging the bail-attaching ears after the latter have been permanently attached to the side walls of the pail or container, and after the looped ends of the hails have been applied to the ears. /The ears, in this instance, before being flanged consist of short cylindrical body portions 1 as in Fig. 4, with peripheral base flanges 2 which are soldered, or otherwise permanently fastened, to the outside of the pail or can body wall 3 before application of the bail loops thereto. rlhe bails, as designated at 4, are of stiifl wire and formed with circular loops 5 at their ends of a size adapted to fit slidably about the ears and to be retained thereon by forming the outwardly rounded flanges 6 about the outer end portions of the ears, as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably the fit of the loops would be such as to frictionally hold the bail at any adjusted position.

Thepresent invention resides in the details of construction of the particular spinning tool used to form the flanges 6, and this tool, as shown best in Figure 1, consists of a body portion 10 provided at its inner end with a threaded axial bore 11 whereby it may be mounted on a revolubly driven shaft 12. lf desired, shaft 12 might be of a flexible character to permit of easy manipulation of the tool. At the outer end of the body is a rounded head 13 formed with a circularr socket 14 that is coaxial of the body and wherein there is rigidly seated a hardened bearing plate 15 and beyond this an overlying ball cage 16 yin cavities of which a plurality of ball bearings 17 are carried; these balls being all of the same size, evenly spaced and dis-` posed about the rounded shank portion 18 of a center bolt 19 that is threaded coaXially into the body. The bolt shank has a round, iiattened head 20 overlying the ball bearings and retaining them in place but exposing them sufliciently for Contact with the ears for effecting the flange-spinning operations.

The ball cage 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 100

1, is loosely contained between the bearing plate 15 and the shank head 20 and may revolve relative to the head since it has no connection with the shank.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the balls 17 are arranged circularly about the axis of the body and shank 18 and have their forward outer sides exposed beyond the bolt head 20. The head serves, with the cage 16, to retain the balls in place but permits them to roll freely in their bearings. f

In using the tool to flange a can ear after the loop of a bail has been applied thereto,

the tool is placed directly against the ear, as in Fig. 2, so that the shank head 20 lits within the outer end of the ear and thereby centers the tool with respect thereto. Then the tool is pressed inwardly with slight pressure to cause the balls in rolling` on the bearing plate 15 to exert a rolling pressure against the inner peripheral edge of the ear body so that the spinning action causes the ear to be formed with the outwardly rounded flange 6. During this operation the shank head 2O retains the tool accurately centered and may be used also as a stop for limiting its inward movement so as not to curl the flange too far inwardly.

The present tool permits flanging of the ear after the container to which it is attached has been filled and this is a very decided advantage, from an economical and mechanical standpoint, over the usual method of securing the ears and bail before filling. It also affords a simplified operation that is quite a saving in time over prior methods. The device operates quickly and effectively, is very easy to handle, is relatively inexpensive, and may be made in various sizes to accomlnodate ears of various diameters.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. An ear-ianging tool of the character described comprising a body having an axial bore at one end for attachment to a shaft whereby the body may be rotated, a head at the forward end of the body, a bolt mounted on the body and having a shank extending coaxially thereof beyond the body head and formed with a head portion adapted to enter the ear as a means for centering the tool coaxially with respect thereto, a socket in the head of the body, a ball-cage in the socket, and balls carried in the cage and adapted for rolling contact with the ear to produce the flange.

2. An ear-Hanging tool of the character described comprising an axially revoluble body, a shank extending coaxially therefrom at one end and having a head spaced from kthe body for entering the ear to center the tool with respect thereto, a ball cage revoluble about the shank and retained by the shank head, and a plurality of balls mounted by 

